Amy had no idea how Aunt Penelope could move so fast in that balloon of a dress. And if it wasn't for her aunt's firm grip, Amy was sure the swaying of the heavy material would have knocked her clean off her feet. As it was, she was running on the tips of her toes just to keep up.
Hold on... who opened the front door?
"Wow..." Amy managed to pry her left hand free, her feet slamming on the brakes. "No way."
Her mesmerized eyes, widening in disbelief, ping-ponged from left to right then up and down and back again.
This can't be.
She must be dreaming.
"Ouch!" She pinched herself. Nope, not dreaming.
The house had looked pretty normal from the outside. A little bigger than what she was used to, but normal just the same. Minus one enormous troll face, that is.
But this...?
She was in a state of shock. Looking quickly back at the door she had entered, Amy felt her eyes widen even more. It was closed. How did that happen?
Amy didn't know which way to look.
Somehow, the inside of the house had turned into what Amy could only think of as a palace fit for a Queen. It was so beautiful, just like a fairyland, with the warm glow of flickering candles dancing off of every shiny object positioned delicately on ornate tables and in chandeliers high up on the ceilings.
The entrance hall she stood in could have easily been as big as the football oval at the back of Amy's school. With at least ten huge closed double wooden doors positioned all around the room. She felt like she had been transported back in time. Along with the many suits of armour lined against curved white walls, on which hundreds of portraits of prune faced men and snobbish women wearing jeweled crowns hung.
Huge white and gold marble tiles swirled across the floor, climbing the massive winding staircase in the middle of the room, which her aunt had started to ascend.
"Amy darling, come on, there's no time to dawdle. We must hide you where they won't think of looking. Just a safety precaution, of course. Wouldn't want to lose you on your first day, now, would we? I don't think your mother would approve."
Hide...? Lose...? Amy had no idea what was going on, and she wasn't sure she even wanted to.
This day was getting weirder and weirder. Her father was definitely right about her aunt. But despite it all, Amy actually liked Aunt Penelope. Also she couldn't look so much like her mother and be that bad, could she?
With one last glance around the room, Amy ran to catch up with her aunt on the first landing of the stairs before she made the mistake of looking up...
"Whoa..." She gulped. The stairs just kept on going forever.
"Aunt Penelope, where are we going?"
"To see another special friend of mine. I am sure you'll like her."
" Aunty, why does the house looks so much larger on the inside?"
"Of course it does. Its like a Tardis." Aunt Penelope said, matter-of-factly. Her pace increasing once they passed the third floor. Lucky for Amy, running was amongst her most favourite things she liked to do, and so she managed to keep up with very little trouble.
"What's a Tardis?"
"Exactly as you described."
Amy was totally confused. She didn't remember describing anything.
YOU ARE READING
The Storyteller - ONC 2022
General FictionNine-year-old Amy Winter's holiday plans have gone from exciting to total disaster. How is she supposed to have any fun being packed up and sent to stay with a weird relative she can't even remember? And Aunt Penelope is as weird as they get. With...
